1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of building construction, and more particularly to the constructing of buildings having modular exterior panels mounted thereon.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In certain architectural styles, particularly as applied in large commercial and institutional buildings, exterior panels of sheet-like form are utilized. It has been found to be aesthetically attractive and economically functional to cover a large section of a building, for instance ten feet by twenty feet, in a single sheet of material. When such materials can be produced in a factory in a large sheet form and applied as one piece, it can save considerable amount of labor and time in the construction schedule.
A particularly useful material in this context has been sheet aluminum. It is relatively lightweight, can be cut or machined readily and can be anodized in its natural appearance or in a color to enhance its appearance and weather resistance. To further improve the desirable characteristics of this material, a hollow panel with internal stiffening members can decrease the weight and cost still further without serious loss in strength and stiffness properties.
A construction of stiffened laminated aluminum panels has found considerable acceptance in the building trades, especially where the stiffening members are transverse to the main plates, such as a clustered honeycomb pattern. Such a panel is made by H. H. Robertson Company, and is utilized in the present invention.
One prior art system which utilizes a prefabricated panel mounted on the frame of a building is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,435,934 to Kim. The system taught involves the use of self-threading fasteners to anchor the panel to the building frame at top and bottom. A system of interlocking clips are used to join the sides and seal against weather. While this system allows the use of a panel-type construction, it relies on screws as the main holding force which both limits the strength and requires a considerable amount of field labor to install.
Another panel assembly system is taught in U.S. Pat. No. 4,633,634 to Nemmer et al., in which the panel is prepared with grooves and the building has mating channel frame members. The panel is assembled to the channel frame by sliding the panel into the grooves from the top to the bottom. This method is fairly successful in a single-story building, but will present practical problems in the construction of a multi-story building. Also, in case of severe winds, the panels are prone to pull out of their anchoring.
A variation of the technology taught by Nemmer et al. has been used in the building trade and applies to multi-story buildings. It is a panel system utilizing tall channels into which the panel fits, placing a second panel directly on top of a first panel to obtain the required height. This system presents the significant difficulty of replacing individual panels in case of damage, because it is necessary to remove all upper panels to replace a lower one. This can become a costly process.
Other methods of construction employing exterior panels have been used, but the difficulties of labor cost to install, cost and time to replace a single panel and the potential for damage or loss due to wind remain. In particular, when a multi-story building is constructed with exterior panel siding, the upper floors are particularly exposed to higher velocity winds. In the prior art methods of attaching the panels, the edge grip strength has not been sufficient to withstand the high wind forces since they rely on systems such as screws or channels. The force of the wind on a large panel can exert tremendous pressure on the anchoring means.
Therefore, it is an object of the invention to provide a building panel construction system which is economical and easy to install in the field.
It is a further object of the invention to present a building panel construction system which will withstand high velocity wind forces without loss of attachment or damage.
It is a further object of the invention to present a building panel construction system which will permit the replacement of individual panels in case of damage without the need to remove other panels which are adjacent thereto.
Additional objects of this invention will become apparent to those skilled in the building industry as the description proceeds.